For 10 years, Artpark & Company brought rock
'n' roll legends to Lewiston and didn't charge a dime for
tickets. Audiences, in the 5,000-to-15,000-range, were able to watch
performances by such acts as Styx, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Michael
McDonald and America, for free, as part of the "Tuesday in the
Park" concert series.

But when crowds started to reach the 30,000 mark
in 2011, Artpark & Company realized this concert format was not
going to work in the Village of Lewiston. At the behest of residents,
elected officials and local leaders, who said such an influx of
people wasn't practical for a one-square-mile village, the Artpark
board opted to make a significant change for the 2012 summer season.

At a press conference in March, Artpark &
Company President George Osborne said, "In response to our patrons'
concerns about overcrowded conditions for Tuesday concerts, the new
amphitheater is being fenced and gated and we anticipate limiting the
size of the crowds to between 10,000 and 12,000."

To facilitate this action, "This year, a ticket
will be required to enter the concerts and, for a majority of the
concerts, the price will be $5 in advance," Osborne said.

Artpark
& Company will charge between $5 and $15 for this summer's
"Tuesday in the Park" concerts (see ad on next page). The full
schedule was announced at a press conference on Tuesday at the Barton
Hill Hotel & Spa in Lewiston.

The
ticket cost should preclude stragglers from wandering into the park
and bumping attendance figures. The new crowd control measure will
"make it a better experience all the way around," said Artpark &
Company Board Chairman Christopher Brown.

For
Artpark & Company, the decision to charge admission for the
"Tuesday in the Park" concert series wasn't seen as a negative.
The new revenue source allowed Osborne to book acts far surpassing
past lineups in terms of star power. This year's headliners include
Sheryl Crow, Yes, Huey Lewis & The News, Sublime and Roger
Hodgson of Supertramp.

With
a free concert series, "We couldn't have had this lineup - not
quite," Osborne said. "We wouldn't have been able to afford it,
in all honesty."

"They're
all bands that sell a lot of tickets," he said. "We had a lot of
competition from Fallsview and Casino Niagara."

Osborne
said he is excited to hear Sheryl Crow, who is arguably the most
famous name on the "Tuesday" schedule.

"I've
been trying to get Sheryl Crow for a few years," he said. "She's
been out of our price range."

Mark
Thomas, western district director for the state Office of Parks,
Recreation and Historic Preservation, said, "This is an exciting
new season we're kicking off."

"We
ask the community to once again come up and support Artpark &
Company in its programs," he said. "It will be easy to do with
the program that George and his staff have assembled."

Artpark
concertgoers will notice a brand new outdoor amphitheater setup,
"which we feel is going to really enhance the experience for all
the patrons," Brown said. Changes include a new stage, new stairs,
improved stone seating areas around the bowl, a "green room" for
musical acts, and new buildings for concessions and park management.

While
the amphitheater is still a ways away from completion, Artpark
officials are planning to have everything in place prior to the first
"Tuesday" concert, which is Kansas on June 19.

"We've gone forward believing we'll be
ready," Osborne said. "There's just still challenges everyday.
... If we're not ready, we have alternative plans to move that show
inside the theater. But I believe we'll be ready."

In the video below, George Osborne reveals the "Tuesday" and "Wednesday" concert headliners